A Birthday Present
by gwkitty
Summary: I have added a sort of sequel that is about Kenshin's birthday. What is his present? Read and find out! 2nd Chapter
1. A Birthday Present

  
  


Author's Notes:

Hiya! I had more inspiration and so here this is!! This had nothing to do with the other fic of mine, as you will probably see if you read this. This would kind of take place a long time after the beginning of the anime, but way before the end of it. So, yeah! *laughs* I hope you enjoy this.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


A Birthday Present

A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfiction

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


It was drawing unmistakably near. One could not simply ignore the significance of the day that would soon be the present. And he still had absolutely no idea what to get her. Women were the hardest people to shop for. With men, as long as it didn't require a whole lot of thought to use the gift, they were as content as babies. Women were picky and extremely difficult to please. Everything was about sensitivity and feelings...

He shuddered. He would rather keep those to himself...

Ahh, but here he was, in a shop with no clue what he was doing. Why couldn't this be like grocery shopping? He was lost in thought as he wandered further into the unknown...

  
  


"Hah!" She exclaimed after her student's bokken crashed to the floor of the dojo, a good five feet away.

"No fair! You cheated!" Yahiko accusingly yelled, stomping the floor with his right foot. Clearly, this triggered anger in his Sensei. Fumes were visibly coming out her nose and ears, while she fought to control her ever growing want to pummel him.

"Cheated?! Mou! You weren't even focused! Had you been listening to my instructions earlier instead of drifting off into la-la land where all the Yahiko's mosey around, you wouldn't have become weaponless!" At a loss for words, Yahiko clamped his mouth shut. He couldn't believe she was so upset. True, he hadn't really been paying attention. True, he didn't like being stuck with her for many excrutiating hours out of the day--inside a hot muggy dojo while sitting still and doing boring breathing exercises. And true, when she actually did show him some moves, he had instead watched a few squirrels fight over a walnut outside. He dejectedly retrieved his battered bokken and gripped it hard. Suddenly he turned around, catching Kaoru off guard.

"At least I'm not a lovesick dolt pining after someone who doesn't return my feelings, BUSU!" With that he threw down his bokken at her feet much like a child throwing a temper-tantrum would and raced out of the dojo with a unknown speed.

Kaoru stood there staring at where he'd been standing only seconds ago, letting his words echo in her mind. She then kneeled down in front of his bokken... took it reverently in both of her hands like a sword maker would in a ceremony to give it to a samurai. She stepped carefully over to the shrine in the dojo and kneeled before it, holding the bokken out as if she were offering it to the Gods. And then she set it on the rack. 

The bokken had been the one her father had held while training her when she was little. She never used it herself because of that and she'd never let anyone else use it before either. But Yahiko was an exception. She had hoped that with her father's bokken in his grasp that some of her father's strength and patience would flow into the reckless boy's spirit and calm him down.

She sighed as she once again kneeled before the shrine. He was right... While her affection for Kenshin was clear to everyone else, he was the only one who didn't seem to notice. And if he did, he was deliberately ignoring it. Why did things have to be so complicated?

"I miss you ... Father," she whisper as she bowed her forehead to the floor.

  
  
  


Kenshin backed away from the dojo, having witnessed everything from the beginning. Unable to read her thoughts, Kenshin had read her ki and was shocked to feel feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, and sorrow. He had never felt those feelings radiate off her before. It was almost a foreign thing to him.

In that aspect, Kaoru was much like him, hiding the sadness deep inside so that no one else would know or worry. 'One day the burden of the past will catch up with you and you will be all alone with no protection but a rusted sword and an empty heart.' He recalled an old lady he had never met before, shouting that to him in the slow, more lonely days of his Rurouni life. She had been blind and yet it seemed for all he was worth that she had been staring directly at him. Or maybe into his blackened soul.

Burying the burden just made things worse, a fact he had lived with his entire life. But if that's what it would mean to protect those around him, so be it. But it didn't mean she had to. She _shouldn't_ have to...

Kenshin was startled out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his left shoulder.

"Kenshin? The tofu..." She barely got out the words when Kenshin ran off, balancing the tofu on the way. 

"Oro!!!!"

  
  


Dinner was a phenomenon. Sano was indifferently quiet; Yahiko refused to look at Kaoru or utter a word for that matter; Kaoru was making herself aloof and sadly smiling in a demeaning manner; and Kenshin was speechless because he could hear food being chewed Kenshin resolved that he was just grateful that Sano hadn't made matters worse.

"All riiight... this is creeping me out," Sano finally stated. He stood up, popping one more rice cake in his mouth before saluting to the three and quickly informing them that he was visiting a more entertaining group of people, mainly Misao, at the Akabeko. At the mention of the restaurant, Yahiko perked up, but Karou interjected before he could dismiss himself as well.

"Oh no you don't! Don't think that for one moment because I'm a woman I'll be all mushy and emotional and you can get away with what happened earlier during your lesson," she said in a reprimanding tone.

"I know, I know... One thousand strokes..." he muttered in defeat as he got up and left towards the dojo in a sulking trudge. Kaoru sat back down and finished eating.

"Daijobu-ka, Kaoru-dono?" 

"Hai. I'm fine Kenshin. Don't worry about me," she answered, setting her chopsticks down and gathering up the dirty dishes. Kenshin jumped up so quickly to stop her that he startled her and she dropped a bowl.

"Aaaiieee!" She yelped in embarrassment.

"Oro.. Sessha only meant to protest Kaoru-dono's help. He will take care of it though, de gozaru," he said to her. She smiled and shook her head.

"I want to help, Kenshin. Please let me help once in awhile. I _am_ a woman after all..." Insinuating about certain roles. She knelt down and began picking up the broken pieces. But then she flinched and brought her finger up to her mouth. Kenshin motioned to her hand and she showed him her injured finger with reluctance. He took her by her other hand and led her to the kitchen sink. When they got there, he tested the water. As soon as it was lukewarm, he rinsed her finger off and then applied pressure to the cut to stop the bleeding with a towel.

Kaoru's heartbeat began to quicken when all movement stopped and the throbbing in her finger dulled to a point of nonexistence. Kenshin was so close... her breathing became labored. He was holding her hand between them, close to his chest. Their hands was the only boundary between their bodies which were only a few inches apart. Her eyes felt so heavy as she looked from their hands up to his eyes, searching for something she knew couldn't be there. But his eyes were so deep and so alluring... She slowly closed her own as if in a trance and leaned forward, her arms finding their way around his lean form, hugging him to her for a reason she could not voice.

It took Kenshin a moment to react, but when he did, several warm feelings rushed to his brain when his arms enveloped the girl. He smiled and breathed in her hair, then rested his chin on her head, hoping whatever it was that made her do this it was because she.. loved him...

"Kenshin...." she asked, looking up. He openly gazed at her with love and concern in his eyes.

"Arigatou..." And then she was gone from his embrace. He felt cold all of a sudden; his arms empty. He picked up the long discarded towel and discovered that the shattered bowl had been taken care of upon returning to the table. He must have been standing there too long after she had left the circle of his arms.

  
  


The next day everything was back to normal. Shouts of adopted family irritation frequented the air and equal responses of frustration were muttered back.

Kenshin only laughed while in the midst of his daytime passion. Laundry. Though, he wouldn't admit to anyone but the Battousai within him, watching and talking and being with Kaoru was by far his favorite part of any day. Laundry happened to be the second, though chores and Kaoru could never compare.

He remembered what day it was and that the special day was tomorrow. Strange it was that everyone else was acting normal. Didn't they remember-or was he the only one?

He shook his head, it didn't matter. He was planning something anyway. All that shopping had taken too much effort when he should have meditated on it first to come up with a plan. Then everything would have become clearer at a more beneficial time. But it was set and he was a little bit excited to see the reaction she might have.

All of a sudden, two dark pleading eyes appeared before him, startling him to no end. He stumbled into the washing bin and swirly eyes preceded an 'oro?!'

Yahiko stood there grinning, a towel draped across his shoulders.

"Me and Kaoru are going swimming!" He shouted in delight.

"No, we're not! We're training in the river today," Kaoru shouted nonchalantly before disappearing out of the gates.

"Well, it _will _turn into swimming when I steal her bathing suit and swim away with it!" He slapped his hands and rubbed them together with a menacing grin. But Kenshin was too lost in imagining Kaoru in a bathing suit, even though the more decent humble part of his conscience was literally trying to put out the fire in his mind.

"Oui, Kenshin!" Yahiko nudged him. "We'll back in a while, probably around dinner, ne?" Kenshin nodded dumbly. "Ja ne!" Yahiko shouted as he ran to catch up to his sensei. 

"Oro...." The fiery redhead slumped as he looked at the now dirtied clothing all scattered about on the ground around the water bin. He had to start all over...

  
  


Kenshin was startled when he heard wet feet carelessly stumble into the house. He had just about started dinner when Yahiko's pained expression came into view. 

"Kenshin, Kaoru--You gotta save her!" He cried. In a flash they were running out of the Kamiya grounds and in the direction of the river. Yahiko got out between sobs and his exhaustion from running that he wasn't strong enough and that he didn't have anything better than a bokken, so he couldn't free her.

When they arrived the river looked unaffected, as if nothing happened. But Yahiko was crying.

"She's .... she's stuck!" He managed, as he pointed. Kenshin ran into the water and swam with every ounce of energy, dove under the surface, and frantically looked around. He couldn't see! He went lower and there! He hurried over to her, noticed that she wasn't moving, Her foot was caught in sea weed. How she came to be like that, he had no idea but nothing else mattered at the moment than getting her out of the water.

He carried her quickly to the dry ground and checked for a pulse. Upon discovering none, he began CPR. Yahiko watched with a morbid fascination as Kenshin determinedly pumped her chest and breathed for her.

Finally, when it seemed all was useless, Kaoru choked up water and began gasping for air. Kenshin clutched her to him, unbelievably relieved. She blinked a few times before her head lolled back and Kenshin adjusted her so he could comfortably carry her home. Yahiko followed silently.

  
  


It was afternoon when she opened her eyes to a splitting headache and the shivers. More weight was added to the blankets already covering her and she snuggled into the newly found warmth.

"What happened?" Her voice cracked and she drew back under the covers a bit to hide her embarrassment. Kenshin simply smiled and smoothed back her bangs from her face.

"It's okay now," he simply said. "Sessha will return with lunch. He imagines Kaoru-dono must be starving, de gozaru." Only when Kenshin left did she realize Yahiko had been there. He came closer.

"He saved you." Came the statement. His head was bowed so she couldn't read his eyes. She tilted her head. Maybe he felt bad for not being able to save her himself?

"Saved me..?" She asked for confirmation. He flinched, "Yes, the tree limb that fell while we were exercising bumped your head.... you almost drowned! I got Kenshin... and ... he saved you." Yahiko calmed down.

"That's why my head hurts... you were worried about me, eh?" She grinned. Yahiko pouted and then smirked.

"Eh?"

"I know something you don't." He said slyly. She cocked her head to the side much like a puppy would and asked him with her eyes to continue.

"Kenshin kissed you," he taunted. Kaoru froze. And then blushed as the subject of their one way conversation entered the room with food.

She tried not to be flustered, but she couldn't remember. Her first kiss and she couldn't remember. But, it probably wasn't really a kiss _kiss_... she frowned at this thought. She was silly sometimes, her mind told her. Yahiko was just messing with her. 

Kenshin looked back and forth between the two's expresssions.

"Oro?!?"

"Well, ja ne, Busu and Kenshin. I must go practice my swings!" He said in an amused tone. Kenshin looked to Kaoru who wouldn't meet his eyes. 

"Ano... what was that about?"

"N-Nothing..." She replied sheepishly. Kenshin put it aside and tried to help her sit up. When their fingers touched, they both retracted their hands quickly and looked anywhere but at each other. Kenshin finally offered Kaoru her lunch--still steaming.

"Arigatou Kenshin." Once she had eaten as much as her appetite would allow, Kenshin disappeared before returning with a package in his hands.

"Eh??" He presented it to her and she took it in delight. It was always great getting things all wrapped up. Suspense overtook her as she looked to him for permission. He nodded and in a split second she was holding the most beautiful comb she had ever seen.

"What's this for?" She asked softly, holding it close to her heart.

"Well, isn't it Kaoru-dono's birthday?" She froze and then broke out in the sweetest laughter his heart was ever blessed to hear.

"Kenshin... my birthday is not until another month or so... hehee."

"Oro?!" He fell backwards, swirly eyes and all. She waved it off in a dismissal and then meekly handed it to him.

"It is very beautiful... would you mind brushing my hair...?" She asked with hopeful eyes. How could he say no? She turned her back to him and closed her eyes as he hesitantly and timidly pulled the comb through her hair the first time. Not wanting to hurt her, he stopped at knots and untangled them the best he could before starting over again. He marveled at the texture of her hair, reveling in touching it's silkiness, only having been able to smell it before when she wouldn't notice. More and more he used his hands and less of the comb.

Kaoru sighed and unconsciously leaned backwards into his chest until her head was resting against his left shoulder. Kenshin's hands had stilled and he sat there as Kaoru sat dozing lightly against him

He didn't want to move. But there were chores to be done and things he had to fix since it wasn't her actual birthday. He had been looking forward to his plan too... Ah well. This more than made up for it. He stayed there a few minutes longer, telling himself just a little more...a few more minutes...

"Ano, Kenshin..." She sweetly said, stirring from her short nap.

"Hmmm?"

"Now you have to top this on my _real _birthday..." she purred as she snuggled closer into him. He blinked.

"ORO??!?!!!"

  
  


Owari


	2. It's My Party and I'll 'ORO' if I want t...

Author's Note: HI!!! I had inspiration for this last night and so here it is!! It's sort of a sequel to my other birthday story, but not really as you will see when you read it. Umm, if you read it. Heh. I might write that continuation of Birthday Surprise if this doesn't satisfy you. I'm sorry for posting this earlier in such a hurry. I have edited it some, although I don't think I got everything. So when I find more, I will definitely fix it. As always, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy!

It's My Party and I'll 'Oro?' if I want to

It was quiet.

Almost too quiet, the way the natural sounds of the world were almost non-existent.

On purpose?

He scratched the back of his head in a nervous manner as he shrugged off a cold shiver, ignoring the foreboding feeling that was screaming at his lack of common sense.

Folding his arms inside his magenta gi the way he usually did, he calmly strode through the gate and was met with a questionable sight. It made him stop where he stood, a good ten or twelve feet away.

He didn't like the faces they were making. A slight frown marred his features as his ever observant eyes took in two rigid bodies out of three. It was a give-away. They were planning something and they obviously thought him the fool to fall for it. So... how to proceed?

He transferred some weight to his left foot, leaning back on it and rubbed at his chin, speculatively.

A) He could act as if nothing were unusual and fall into their maniacal scheme,

B) Straight out demand an explanation, or

C) Turn around and run away, far, far away, effectively avoiding A or B.

He face-faulted. He couldn't do that. They were his friends, no matter how devious, strange, and back-stabbing they were.

As the Rurouni stood not too far from the porch where they waited rather impatiently, the three pairs of eyes watched him with intense interest.

"He looks distraught." A young voice observed aloud.

"No shit, sherlock." Ruffling of hair and the bunching of white material. He fiddled with the straw in his mouth and glanced to his left where a particular attractive woman was sitting, then returned his stare to the subject of their plan.

"I think he suspects something," the younger voice once again stated.

"That's because you two are the worst actors ever," a sly silky voice replied quite truthfully. One rooster head turned his fiery eyes towards her and glared then-but not with hatred. Something akin to lust and admiration rolled into one, if she should ever take time and simply gaze back into his eyes.

It was entertaining, actually, to see the Rurouni go through so many expressions at once. Not that he'd never done it before, but it was always different each time he did it. It was obvious he was waging an inner war. The rooster cocked an eyebrow and rested his chin in the palm of his right hand.

"Oui. Kenshin! You gonna just stand there all day?" The Rurouni finally snapped out of it and his focus returned to the three. His mouth formed a familiar smile that rarely ever departed from his face and he walked unhurried over to them, at last.

"Konnichiwa Yahiko, Sano, and Megumi-san," Kenshin greeted, ignoring the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Blinking eyes stared back at him, coupled with devious smirks and grins.

"Ummm..." He finally noticed someone was missing. "Where is Kaoru-dono?"

Megumi's fox ears popped out of her head as Yahiko grinned.

"Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?!?" Sano stated, avoiding his friend's question.

"ORO?!?" Kenshin's eyes swirled as he fettered back and forth where he stood. A hand hit the back of his red head, "Sessha must have forgotten, de gozaru."

Sano shook his head in a disapproving manner and stood up to tower over the Rurouni. He then slapped his friend towards the door.

"Well, we got you a birthday present. It's in your room." He trotted off towards the gates, stopping when he realized Megumi and Yahiko weren't following him. He raised a furtive eyebrow at them and cleared his throat.

"Coming?" He asked, even though through his tone, he made it sound obvious that they should be following him out. Yahiko jumped up and raced towards him while Megumi took her time and pressed herself against Kenshin.

"Enjoy you gift, Ken-san..." it rolled of her tongue like butter melting in a pile of mashed potatoes. He blushed as a reaction.

"Uh...arigatou?" He gulped. He didn't like this at all. And why were they leaving, didn't they want to see him open it?

"Oh and by the way, we put a lot of time and effort into this, so you better be grateful," Sano's voice yelled back from way past the gate.

"Hai...hai..." he mumbled out absentmindedly, more to himself than to them, not that they would have heard him anyway.

He took in a deep breath and took a step inside. It was quiet so obviously it was wrapped up. The suspense was killing him. His heart was racing but he still took his time getting to his room. He didn't really like surprises all that much and so he wanted to delay the inevitable as much as possible. In his mind, he summed up things that it could possibly be. Although it was quite hard thinking up what Sano, Yahiko, and Megumi could have thought up for him together.

He paused before opening the door.

Odd.

He leaned closer to it, his ear resting against it's surface.

That certainly sounded like...

He gripped the door and opened it quick to find Kaoru tied and gagged on his bed. He instantly appeared before her and loosened her constraints.

"I'm GONNA KILL THEM ALL!!" She roared, furiously. Fumes were radiating out of her head in small little gusts. He took a step back then and she noticed then that the red head had gone awfully still. She peered down at herself and remembered before turning red and grabbing bedding to cover herself up with.

Kenshin, meanwhile, had a bleeding nose...

"PERVERT!" She cried, unleashing her fist of fury upon his already red face. He fell backwards, dazed and out of it. Kaoru instantly calmed, and realized it wasn't his fault.

"Gomen! They just took me b surprise and didn't even explain anything... I tried to fight but-hey Kenshin?"

"Oro......" Came the soft reply. She gripped the bedding tighter to her and scrambled over to him. She leaned over his face and gazed into his glazed amethyst eyes.

A shadow fell over him and he focused his eyes to find himself lost in blue pools of concern. When she realized he was staring at her, she turned red and looked away before sitting back on her legs. Kenshin shook his head and sat up.

"Sessha apologizes, de gozaru. I didn't know they would do this..." He turned to regard her. Her hair was mused and flowing down her sides and about the bedding, in a way similar to water flowing over and down a waterfall. She was blushing madly, her eyes downcast and her hands gripped the bedding together tightly.

"Where are they?" She asked, anger evident in her soft tones. She was staring at something on the floor. He blinked and looked at the floor as well.

"They left." Silence made birth around them and Kenshin was content to just sit there as long as time would allow. But Kaoru was a nervous wreck. She was alone, with Kenshin, and half-dressed, as it were. He was sitting only a breath away... Her heart was jumping milestones in her chest and her felt like she would go deaf if it didn't stop. She gulped and peered out from her bangs towards the man in the magenta gi.

"Is it really your birthday Kenshin?" His eyes flickered up to hers and held them there for awhile. All she could do was wait. She held her breath while doing so. And then he looked away.

"No. My birthday was last month-"

"WHAT?!?! Your birthday was last month and you didn't tell us!?!?!?!?" Kaoru forgot all about being nervous and stood up to berate him. She pointed an accusing finger towards him, which ended up poking mean holes in his chest when he stood up too.

"I can't believe this!!" She cried in exasperation. A cool hard hand grasped her offending finger and then enveloped her whole hand. She stared at the simple gesture in shock. Her eyes traveled over to the gi, which was partially open and revealing a rather masculine chest. Turning a brighter shade of red, her eyes followed the trail up to his chin and then his eyes, wondering how he had gotten so close when she hadn't been paying attention.

"Sessha didn't want to bother you, Kaoru-dono. Or anyone else for that matter. The only thing I could possibly want for my birthday is moments like these and memories that I can share with my friends." She felt the deep rumble come from his chest as he spoke to her in a soothing and wonderful tone. Shivers scorched her spine and she instinctively stepped forward into him to bask in his warmth. He was surprised for a minute, but only for a minute, and soon the embrace was mutual.

Minutes faded away into feelings and heart beats. She closed her eyes and took in the smell of him, wishing that this wasn't just a one time deal. But then she felt him tense up and an oro issued forth from his mouth.

She leaned back, still within his arms, and looked up at him.

"What should we do when they get back?" He asked her. She quirked an eyebrow at him

"How long are they suppose to be gone?" She countered. They both became deathly still suddenly when they heard rambunctious noise enter the house.

"We're baaaaaaaaack!" Yahiko announced much to their dismay.

"That wasn't very long..." Kaoru stated. Kenshin frowned.

"What an insult...." he muttered before realizing Kaoru was staring at him questionably. He gulped and laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"Uh...sessha didn't mean that....heh...." Kaoru frowned and then turned around. Electricity shot through Kenshin and he instantly thanked Kami-sama that he had nothing to do with this. With every step she took, the house shook like an earthquake was going on.

"YOU GUYS ARE DEAD!!!" And all hell broke loose.

The end.


End file.
